Ascension of the Archmage
by Earl Lonsdale
Summary: COMPLETE. Oneshot. "No," he said in a cold voice that chilled their very blood. "Harry Potter died that night... I am the Emerald Prince, and soon you will witness the ascension of my lord."


**Disclaimer: **not mine, not for profit.

**Summary:** "No," he said in a cold voice that chilled their very blood. "Harry Potter died that night... I am the Emerald Prince, and soon you will witness the ascension of my lord."

**The Ascension of the Archmage**

The Emerald Prince stared at the burning house. For far too long he had remained in the shadows, biding his time and waiting for his lord's signal to reveal his true self. For far too long he had lived a sham, behind a mask and in the presence of halfwits.

"Harry?" someone looked at him in horror.

"No," he said in a cold voice that chilled their very blood. "Harry Potter died that night when my mother failed to protect me." He gazed vacantly ahead, the mask was dropped, there was no longer any need to pretend that he was someone else, someone who cared about what happened to these pitiful animals.

"I am the Emerald Prince," he said quietly, "and soon you will witness the ascension of my lord."

There was silence following his proclamation. The team of the Order of the Phoenix that had come to retrieve him from Privet Drive was left shell-shocked, speechless and completely stunned as they saw what the fiend before them had done before their arrival.

The house was burning. But that wasn't what was the most shocking thing about it. In front of the house hovering several feet up in the air were three figures – the Dursleys. They had frightened looks in their faces and nobody who gazed on them needed to wonder why, as surrounding them were several rings of electric green current, making a spherical prison.

"It is one of my many creations," said the Emerald Prince. "Think of it as a cage, whose bars are beams of the Killing Curse." He moved his hand a bit higher and the cage moved higher, dragging with it through some unseen invisible force the Dursleys as well.

"You monster!"

The Emerald Prince didn't turn to face the person who had cried out. "It is funny you call me that," he said quietly. "These fine people up there would very readily call you the same, Nymphadora. Does that make them correct? Does your calling me a monster make you correct?" He was quiet. "No, I am a mere enforcer for my lord, the true saviour of wizardkind."

"How could you do this, Harry?" a voice cried out, breaking at the very end when calling out his name. "How could you betray the memory of Lily and James?"

The Emerald Prince smiled faintly. "How can you betray a memory, Remus? How can you betray someone you have never met or known?" He spoke in a very even voice and one would find it surprising the degree of control he had, given the situation. "One could say that Lily and James betrayed me when they defied Lord Voldemort. One could say Sirius betrayed me when he handed me to Hagrid and went after Wormtail. One could say you, Remus Lupin, betrayed me when you abandoned me to these..." a note of disgust crept into his voice, "animals."

"Harry Potter, I order you to release the muggles at once!"

The Emerald Prince turned to the speaker and gave a mock bow. "As you command, Auror Shacklebolt." He lowered his hand. The next moment the three Dursleys fell, colliding against the bottom of their magical cage. The green beams of light were indeed the Killing Curse because the three Dursleys fell to the ground, but they had died long before that.

There was a long moment of silence. Many of the Dursleys' neighbours had come out and they witnessed the deed in shock and horror. Then, suddenly someone screamed and there was chaos everywhere. The people started charging at the group of robed strangers that were present at the scene of the Dursleys' murder, and the Order of the Phoenix was stoned by the very muggles they had vowed to protect.

"The truth," the Emerald Prince said softly, "is that there is no good or evil in magic, only power. It is a tool to be used by the strong and to be feared by the weak." He raised his hand and a number of stones that were hurled towards him froze in mid-air and transfigured into stone gargoyles. He flicked his fingers outwards and the stone gargoyles flew towards the muggles, who screamed even louder and started running away in opposite directions.

The Emerald Prince stared at the muggles for a few moments. The plan was in motion. The Ministry would be in such chaos that the situation would escalate beyond control. In short, his lord's moment of ascension was drawing very near.

The veil of secrecy was about to be shattered.

But there was a lot to do now, he couldn't waste more time for his petty revenge against the Dursleys. He turned around and looked at the members of the Order of the Phoenix who hadn't escaped at the first time of trouble and were trying to get some control over the situation – Kingsley Shacklebolt, Alastor Moody, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, Bill and Fleur Weasley and Hestia Jones. They were an impressive collection of witches and wizards. It disappointed the Emerald Prince that they were beyond redemption, that they would choose to cast their lot not with magic but with those who would disdain it.

He closed his eyes and vanished from their presence.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in muggle London at the foot of the London Eye. On his sudden appearance, the muggles were shocked but they were still more puzzled or amused than terrified, for they thought he had sprung out of thin air by some trickery. But one man rushed towards him instantly and fell to his knees.

"My prince," the man said in an overwhelmed voice. "How I have longed for this day! How I have longed that it occur in my lifetime!"

"Why did you doubt our lord's instructions to you, Jason Corner?" the Emerald Prince chastised him. "Are you prepared?"

"Yes, my prince," the man cried out. He took out his wand and muttered a long enchantment. At that very moment, all the muggles riding on the London Eye started screaming. A faint unearthly glow surrounded the giant wheel, acting as a powerful conduit for magic to flow as it drew the life force of the muggles on it.

"How long will this take?" the Emerald Prince asked him as the chaos around him once again escalated in magnitude.

"No more than five minutes, my prince," said he.

"Can it be stopped now?"

"Only by a powerful sorcerer who knows exactly what this enchantment is aimed at achieving. He must then find out the accurate counter and then cast it," said he. "I doubt anyone will be able to do that in these five minutes."

"Then, I will leave you here," the Emerald Prince said. "What of your son?"

"He is ready to join us, my prince," said he. "He will take the oath before our lord when it is deemed appropriate."

The Emerald Prince didn't say another word as he vanished from there. He then appeared at a much quieter place, with literally no one else there. He was at the site of the Stonehenge at Salisbury. The Emerald Prince walked to the middle of the enclosure between the menhirs. He raised his hand and felt power course through his veins.

"My lord, hear my words," he yelled into the night. "My lord, your servant has come to you."

The clouds gathered in the skies above, swirling darkly in a display of fury. Flashes of lightning came out of what had been a clear night. There was an ominous chill in the air as old and ancient magic that had for long been forgotten vibrated vigorously.

"Yes, my lord," the Emerald Prince whispered, as if he could hear actual instructions from the vibrations of magic. He fell to his knees and lowered his head reverently. "It will be done." He remained in that position until the vibrations subsided. Then, he stood up and walked away from the Stonehenge.

The time had come for the most important trip. Hogwarts.

* * *

The Ministry of Magic was in chaos. Nobody knew what was going on. Well, some of them knew some of the things that were going on. But nobody was aware of the full picture. Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour had called an emergency meeting and was in a conference room with his senior advisors, the top Aurors and the top Unspeakables.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began slowly, and then he banged his fist on the table. "I want answers. What in Merlin's name is going on?"

Amelia Bones, director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, sighed. She knew the responsibility to give first response to the Minister fell on her. She looked around her, hoping someone else would take that charge from her. To her relief, Kingsley Shacklebolt cleared his throat.

"Minister, Harry Potter has turned to the dark side," said he in a grave voice. "I personally witnessed him murder three muggles and set their house on fire."

"Preposterous!" Scrimgeour thundered. "Potter... Potter is our only hope against You Know Who!" He looked squarely at the Auror's unrelenting face. "If you saw him murder muggles... then... then..."

"Then, we are doomed," Shacklebolt concluded.

"We do not have time for Potter!" someone interrupted. "Minister, have you not heard what I said? There's a rogue wizard who has enchanted some muggle contraption and..."

"Get some perspective, Basil," Shacklebolt cut in. "We must deal with Potter first."

"You don't understand!" Basil shouted. "Tens of thousands of muggles have witnessed this!"

There was a grave silence following his statement.

"Have the Obliviators been sent?" asked Amelia Bones, sounding weary.

"There was a slight problem," muttered Basil, red-facedly. "The first batch of Obliviators we sent didn't appreciate the magnitude of this problem and..."

"And?"

He hesitated. "They were slaughtered by a mob of muggles. They were waiting. The second batch of Obliviators managed to escape and brought back word of this mischief. We're waiting for Aurors to be deployed to control the mob before we can obliviate them."

"What about Harry Potter?" asked Shacklebolt. "We need Aurors to apprehend him as well."

"Enough!" the Minister shouted. "Even if what you say is true, Shacklebolt, Harry Potter is just one wizard... just one seventeen year old, and by all reports, a most average and..."

"You didn't see what he was capable of, Minister," Shacklebolt interrupted again. "He had made a prison of Avada Kedavra around his relatives."

The Minister listened to him quietly. "Very well," he said finally. "Shacklebolt, take any six Aurors who're willing to go with you and tackle this Potter problem. Gawain Robards, I want you to take a dozen others, along with three squadrons of Hit-Wizards and see what's going on in South Bank at the London Eye."

"One more thing," Amelia Bones said before the Aurors could leave. "What is this enchantment you spoke of, Basil?"

Basil looked uncomfortable. "We haven't discovered its purpose yet, Director Bones. The giant Ferris wheel is acting like some kind of magic-emitting device. We brought the Unspeakables in on this immediately but are yet to discover what it's all about."

"Croaker?" the Minister asked the Unspeakable Head. "Do you have anything?"

"Nothing concrete as yet, Minister," said he, apologetically. "But by our calculations, the wheel's radius of influence covers nearly the whole of the country." He raised his hand when the others started whispering. "This is a good thing, ladies and gentlemen, because with such a large radius to cover, whatever magic it is doing, it cannot be really powerful. The only explanation I can think of is, it is doing something to the muggle world, not to the magical world."

"I don't care if it's projecting a mass Imperiud Curse, transfiguring the country's supply of needles into matches or turning muggles bald," Scrimgeour growled. "I want to know what it is, or failing that, I want it stopped. You are all dismissed."

One by one, they all left the office until Amelia Bones was the last person remaining. She looked at the Minister wearily and said, "What do you think is going on, Rufus? Is You Know Who behind all this?"

"Who else?" muttered Scrimgeour. "I still can't believe... Harry Potter... the Boy Who Lived has joined You Know Who? Who would have thought?"

"Maybe, Shacklebolt is mistaken," Amelia pointed out. "All of these old Dumbledore loyalists have been floundering about like fish out of water since his recent death. Maybe, Shacklebolt made a mistake in what he saw."

"No," Scrimgeour shook his head. "He passed me a memory of what he'd seen mentally. I saw it. Potter has turned as dark as they come." He shook his head. "The question is... how? How has he suddenly become so powerful from a virtual harmless teenager?"

Amelia shrugged helplessly.

"What I'm most..." he paused when a strange beeping noise came from a picture of a room on his wall. "That's the muggle prime minister. I suppose he'll want to know what's going on. He's not going to like it."

"Shall I come with you, Minister?" asked Amelia. "Perhaps, having a woman explain things will make him a little less aggressive and a little more understanding."

Scrimgeour looked at her gratefully. "Please, come," he said. He walked towards the picture and climbed into it. The moment his body came in contact with the canvas, he disappeared and came out on the other side in a room - the prime minister's office. Amelia followed after him hastily.

"Amelia," Scrimgeour looked at her gratefully. "Please give our friend here a quick summary of what's going on in the wizarding world."

Amelia Bones took a few moments to gather her thoughts. "I suppose the answer to that difficult question begins and ends in three names." She saw the confused looks on their faces. "The current problems in the wizarding world, putting it succinctly, are these: the Dark Lord is not dead, Albus Dumbledore is dead, and Harry Potter, on whose survival we were once as a nation elated might come to rue it as well."

"That made no sense to me," the prime minister looked at her in confusion.

"I will explain slowly this time," said she. "The wizarding world has seen the rise and fall of dark wizards since time immemorial. The most recent significant dark wizard, a person whose name is forbidden..."

"Why is a name forbidden?" the prime minister interrupted.

Amelia threw a withering glance at him. "This wizard was so powerful that he placed a curse on his name. Anytime anyone uttered it, he would know exactly where it was being spoken. Most people didn't like advertising their whereabouts to a lunatic serial killer."

"I see," said the prime minister.

"This dark wizard has returned through some very evil magic to bring a new civil war in our country," said Amelia. "But while this was happening, our prophesized saviour might have joined him."

"This Henry Potter fellow?"

"Harry Potter," said Amelia. "That is another worry. Meanwhile, there's some chaos in muggle London as well. Now, you tell us, what is the reason for your demanding this emergency meeting?"

The prime minister hesitated. He looked at them seriously and asked, "What do you know about nuclear weapons?"

Both Amelia Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour tensed immediately. "We know enough," said Scrimgeour. "Every senior ministry official has to undergo a muggle affairs briefing."

"A what-affairs?"

"Never mind," said Amelia. "What about these nuclear weapons?"

"They're no longer in our control," said the prime minister, sounding terrified. "All our computerised systems controlling the nuclear devices crashed an hour ago, and the only message we could retrieve from the hacking signal was this: magic is might. Just that... every single, every computer, at every frequency, projecting that one message: magic is might."

"Merlin!" Scrimgeour cursed.

"What does that mean?" asked the prime minister.

"There is a simple explanation to your question," said Amelia Bones. She stood up and walked closer to her superior, the Minister of Magic, and said, "Our lord is about to ascend. Avada Kedavra!" The next moment, Rufus Scrimgeour collapsed to the ground and lay still. She looked at the cowering muggle next and raised her wand at him, "Imperio."

"Answer my questions truthfully," said Amelia. "Do you have a gun in this office?"

"Yes, there is a Beretta in my second drawer," said he.

"Take it out and shoot the Minister of Magic's body thrice in the chest," she said. "Forget everything that happened before this meeting. The Minister of Magic tried to persuade you to stay calm, that the issue regarding the nuclear weapons would be resolved, but you lost control, and in your fear, you shot him. You will resign immediately and surrender yourself to your muggle authorities. You will tell them that the London Eye has disabled all weapons of mass destruction in this country and is also acting as a shield against any incoming nuclear missiles or enemy air-attack. Tell your people that war is coming, and the only way for them to survive the rise of mages is to surrender themselves."

She then waited long enough to see him shoot the corpse before returning to the Minister of Magic's office, and she cried out, "Help! Help! Murder! Assassin! Help! Help!"

When more than half a dozen people had assembled, she tried to compose herself. "H-He killed M-Minister S-Scrimgeour..."

"Who?" demanded someone. "Who'd do such a thing?"

"The m-muggle... the m-muggle prime minister..." she hesitated. "I think this is war..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Under the circumstances, I see no option but to declare myself as acting Minister of Magic until the Wizengamot can convene to appoint another." She looked at the assembled group. "Does anyone have any objections?"

* * *

The Order of the Phoenix was gathered in Hogwarts. After Albus Dumbledore's death, there had been a struggle for leadership amongst several of its members, resulting in an uneasy acceptance of Alastor Moody and Minerva McGonagall as joint heads, followed closely behind in order of seniority by Arthur Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Remus Lupin.

There were scores of people in the Order now, after news of Voldemort's return had become publicly accepted but they were all sitting sombrely in the great hall of the majestic castle.

One such person, a young girl of muggle heritage, stood up and asked a question that was troubling them all, "I still don't get it. Why would Harry join Voldemort?"

That was the question in everyone's mind, at least everyone who knew Harry Potter personally, for he had shown himself over the course of six years to be nothing but a paragon of justice, mercy and righteousness, a warrior for the light.

"The problem is that all we know about Potter stretches back to only six years," said Moody. "We do not know anything about his childhood, about the first eleven years of his life. If, as I now suspect, the other side got to him early, then I believe these last few years were all a sham and a deception. Potter's betrayal is far deeper than any of us can comprehend."

"No!" Ron Weasley stood up next to Hermione. "Potter hated V... You Know Who! He would never join him. Besides, if he was a traitor to us, why would he stop You Know Who from coming back in our first and second year?"

"But he didn't stop the dark lord after the Triwizard Tournament, did he?" a new member of the Order ventured his opinion. "And we only have his word to rely on that he fought the dark lord. Who knows what Potter was up to in those hours that he had disappeared..."

Before anyone else could speak, a small white ball of light came from the distance, growing larger and larger as it came nearer to take the shape of a werewolf.

"Nymphadora's Patronus," Remus Lupin recognised it, and they all waited for it to arrive.

The Patronus stopped in front of Remus Lupin and his wife's voice came from within. "The muggles have murdered Minister Scrimgeour... Amelia Bones has assumed power and is declaring a state of emergency..."

"Good Merlin!" Minerva McGonagall lost her composure. "They murdered Rufus... why?"

But as it was only a Patronus with a pre-recorded message, the werewolf Patronus remained silent, waiting for instructions to carry back to its owner.

"Tell Nymphadora to come to Hogwarts immediately!" Remus Lupin said vehemently. "There is madness everywhere... only in here are we safe..."

The Patronus turned around and left.

McGonagall called a house-elf. "Gertie, when Nymphadora Lupin arrives, let her through the wards."

"Yes, Mistress McGonygil," said the little imp.

"Other than that, no one else is permitted in without my express permission," said McGonagall. "Do you understand?"

The house-elf looked at her timidly. "Dobby be letting Master Harry in earlier."

A grave silence fell upon them. McGonagall slowly reached for her wand. "Where is he now?" she asked slowly.

"He be going to Dumblydor's grave," said the imp. "And then he went upstairs to the second floor girls toilet."

"Merlin's beard!" Arthur Weasley jumped out of his seat. "He's going to the Chamber of Secrets! We have to stop him!"

"Stop him from doing what?" asked Neville, quietly. "Do we even know what Harry is doing?"

"Nothing good can come out of that infernal place!" Arthur Weasley declared. He left his place and made towards the nearest exit.

"Wait!" Moody shouted after him. "We must go in prepared, Arthur. You did not see him in Little Whinging. That boy has grown more powerful than any of us." He looked at the house-elf. "Go to Dumbledore's grave and examine it. Tell us exactly what Potter did there. We must determine what he is up to."

The house-elf vanished. She reappeared in a few moments. "The grave is untouched," she said, and there was a loud murmur of relief flowing through the Order of the Phoenix like a calm wave in a troubled sea. "Fawkes is gone."

"What do you mean gone? Has the phoenix resurrected once again?" someone asked.

"Did Potter bring the phoenix back to life? Then, does that mean he's still a light wizard?" someone else voiced out the new surge of hope that was spreading amongst the group.

"I don't know," said the house-elf, sounding miserable. "The statue of Fawkes is gone..."

"We have to go down and see what he's up to," Arthur Weasley repeated, punctuating each word with such force that the others were inclined to believe him.

"Seven of us should go," said Neville. "Seven is a powerful magical number, and we need all the luck we can get against him. I volunteer myself."

"Don't be ridiculous, Longbottom," Moody barked at him. "You're no match for Potter. But you have something in that suggestion, boy. Seven of us: Remus, Arthur, Minerva, Dedalus, Emmeline, Filius and I."

Filius Flitwick hesitated. He looked unwilling to go with them.

"What's the matter, Filius?" Moody looked at him suspiciously.

"Nothing," he said with a sigh. "Let's go."

Moody led the group of powerful witches and wizards to the second floor of the castle, to the abandoned toilet which hid the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. "How do we open this?" he asked the group.

"We need a Parselmouth," said McGonagall. "I didn't think of this..."

"Perhaps, we could blast our way in," Dedalus Diggle suggested.

"Don't be foolish," said Moody. "It is a magical entrance. Only the correct magic can open it."

But at that very moment, an entrance appeared before them on the wall, growing from a small hole to a large entrance for two to walk abreast.

"Wands out," Moody barked. "In all probability we are walking into a trap. But we are seven and he is one. We have the goodwill of light with us and the luck of the magical number. Constant vigilance."

They walked through the entrance, down a sloping path, as steps magically appeared before them even as they walked.

"Lumos," Moody conjured light, but all they could see around them was nothingness, other than the steps that led them to the belly of the serpent pit.

"There is something suspicious about all of this," McGonagall muttered as they walked. "Hermione and Ron know Potter best, and I feel inclined to believe their assessment of him. Despite everything, Potter has never shown any fondness for You Know Who."

"I heard his words very clearly," said Arthur Weasley, calmly. "He said... 'I am the Emerald Prince and soon you will witness the ascension of my lord'. Who else could he mean but You Know Who?"

"My lord," Filius Flitwick repeated. "He didn't say 'dark lord' or 'Voldemort' or 'He Who Must Not Be Named'... What if he meant someone else? Some other dark wizard?"

"But who else could challenge You Know Who for the mantle of the lord of darkness?" asked Dedalus.

Moody spat out in disgust. "Do you not know whose resting place we are descending to, Diggle? Do you not know the name of the one whom even You Know Who claims to be his superior?"

"Salazar Slytherin!" Remus Lupin shuddered in fear. "No... he wouldn't... this is madness..."

"Nothing else makes sense," said McGonagall. "Why else would he be in the Chamber of Secrets? Don't forget, Potter is a Parselmouth. He has Slytherin blood in him."

There was an ominous silence following her words. To their relief, which was soon replaced by surmounting anxiety, the steps stopped going down and levelled on plain stony ground. They walked quietly, not wanting to alert the enemy to their presence.

Finally, when they reached the end of the path to a vast high-ceilinged stone chamber, they froze. In the middle Harry Potter stood alone. There was a circle drawn around him. By his feet lay the head of a dead basilisk and the stone statue of Fawkes the phoenix. Runes were drawn inside and outside the circle in an intricate pattern. Clearly, he was about to commence some ancient ritual.

"You have arrived right in time."

"Potter, stop this madness at once!" McGonagall said sternly.

"I see they haven't told you yet," he replied calmly. "I am to be referred henceforth as the Emerald Prince, the most loyal vassal to my lord."

"Who... Who is your lord?" asked Remus, quietly.

A dazed expression came on the Emerald Prince's face, showing utmost devotion. "My lord is the one true lord of magic, the master of light and dark, the Omnipotent One." He looked at them with a sad expression. "He would have you know that your sacrifice here will not be in vein. You will forever be remembered as the ones who brought him back to life."

Moody sent a curse. "Diffindo!" The curse flew from his wand towards the Emerald Prince, who didn't even blink at its arrival, but the moment it reached the circle where he was standing, the curse fizzled into nothing. "Stupefy! Confringo!" Both the subsequent curses met with the same fate.

"Filius," the Emerald Prince suddenly noticed his presence. "Why have you come here? Our lord requires your service still..."

"I couldn't avoid coming without arousing suspicion, my prince," said Flitwick, kneeling on his knee. "Neville Longbottom succeeded in making them send only seven as sacrifice for the ritual, but I was chosen as one of them. My prince, I will gladly sacrifice myself for our lord's ascension."

The Emerald Prince chuckled lightly. "Our lord is pleased to hear your devotion," he said. "But he still requires you to live. Come, you know your students better than that. Ron Weasley, standing behind you in my old invisibility cloak, will serve as an adequate replacement."

"No!" Arthur Weasley cried out in horror as Flitwick revealed Arthur's son Ron Weasley was indeed present in the chamber. He turned to the Emerald Prince. "How can you do this to us after everything we've done for you?"

The Emerald Prince looked at him sadly. "I wish... I wish you hadn't come down here, Mr Weasley. There would have been a place for you in our new order. Rest assured that the rest of your family, especially your beautiful daughter, will receive positions of great honour and prestige when my lord ascends. Also, Remus, do not worry about Nymphadora. I will take care of her as well."

"LEAVE GINNY ALONE, YOU FIEND!" Arthur screamed and ran towards the circle.

The Emerald Prince blinked once and a lightning-shaped jet of white light escaped from his eyes and struck Arthur, making him sink to his knees and scream in pain. He then raised his hand, and before anyone could react, everyone except Filius Flitwick had identical spherical green rings surrounding them. They were trapped in prisons of the Killing Curse.

"The time has come, my lord," the Emerald Prince said in a serene voice, "for you to ascend." He stepped out of the circle, and started chanting:

Corpse of the immortal firebird, I take your unspent life for my lord;

Venom of the serpent queen, I take your unused vitality for my lord;

Lives of seven mages, I offer you as sacrifice to appease magic;

Devotion of the servant, I beg for the return of my lord.

Rise, my lord, rise from the shackles that have bound you," he fell to his knees and waved his hand once as the rings surrounding the seven mages shrunk and they all fell down dead.

"Rise, my lord, and ascend to glory," Filius Flitwick was in an identical position next to the Emerald Prince.

Magic began vibrating around them, and the firebird turned a bright golden in colour and shattered in a million pieces, as purple venom came out of the basilisk's head and disappeared into nothing. The corpses of the seven mages shrivelled until there was nothing left dust. For several minutes, the vibration hummed in the air, and when it finally subsided, a single figure remained standing in the circle. He was slender, with a gaunt face and a white beard that came all the way down to his waist. Naked, he stood still in the circle and gazed at the sight before him, and he started laughing.

"Rise, my prince," the naked wizard gestured for the Emerald Prince to rise. "Rise, Master Filius. Rise, and witness my ascension. Soon, we will bring back the golden era of Britain."

"Hail, Archmage Merlin, lord of magic, master of light and dark, Omnipotent One," the Emerald Prince chanted, and then he stood up.

"Hail, Merlin," Flitwick repeated, and then he too stood up.


End file.
